The mood is Polish from the RTÉ NSO tonight. Alan Buribayev offers Russian musical perspectives on the country – the Polish Dances from Glinka’s opera A Life for the Tsar and Tchaikovsky’s Third Symphony, nicknamed the Polish – as well as the Second Piano Concerto by Poland’s most famous composer, Chopin.

The performers’ national perspectives range even more widely. Buribayev is from Kazakhstan; the evening’s soloist, Hisako Kawamura, from Japan; and both trained in the German-speaking world: Buribayev in Vienna and Kawamura at various centres in Germany.

Friday also sees the resumption of a classical concert series in Drogheda, now called the Drogheda International Classical Music Series, established with funding from the Arts Council. The now defunct Drogheda Borough Council Music Series attracted local public funding, but the new series seems to be getting underway without financial assistance from the local authorities .

The inaugural concert features French cellist Marc Coppey and Irish pianist Finghin Collins, who are on a short tour that will take them to Tullynally Castle and the Hugh Lane Gallery.

Later Drogheda concerts include a visit from the RTÉ NSO (Nov 16th), a violin and piano recital by Tadhg Murphy and Lance Coburn (Feb 15th), and the BBC Singers under Fergus Sheil (Mar 21st), part of a touring programme that will include works by Benjamin Britten, Irene Buckley, John Tavener and James MacMillan.

On Monday, the National Concert Hall celebrates the life and work of Waterford- born composer William Wallace (1812-1865). The day’s events include lectures, the launch of a facsimile of the composer’s Music Album of 1854, and a concert of songs and piano music.